1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to liquid crystal displays and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display having a transverse pixel structure.
2. Related Art
Typically, a liquid crystal display includes a common electrode panel having a common electrode and a thin film transistor array panel having a thin film transistor array. The common electrode panel and the thin film transistor array panel face each other and are combined by a sealing line interposed between the two display panels, with a liquid crystal layer formed in the space between the two display panels. This liquid crystal display including the two panels is provided with field-generating electrodes, between which the liquid crystal layer is interposed. This liquid crystal display displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the liquid crystal layer that determines the orientations of liquid crystal molecules therein to control the amount of transmitted light. The liquid crystal display is a non-emissive device such that a backlight unit for providing the light on the rear of the thin film transistor array panel is provided. The amount of transmittance of light that is irradiated by a backlight is controlled according to the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules.
The thin film transistor array panel includes a plurality of gate lines, data lines, and pixel electrodes. The gate lines extend in the row direction and transmit gate signals, and the data lines extend in the column direction and transmit data signals. The pixel electrodes are connected to the gate lines and the data lines, and to a plurality of switching elements and storage capacitors.
The switching elements are disposed at portions where the gate lines and the data lines intersect each other, and each switching element is a three terminal element including a control terminal connected to a gate line, an input terminal connected to a data line, and an output terminal connected to a pixel electrode.
In the case of a conventional liquid crystal display, light leakage is generated on the circumference of the data lines according to the space between the data lines and the pixel electrodes. To prevent the light leakage, a black matrix is extended on the common electrode panel. Such a device may result, however, in an aperture ratio of the entire liquid crystal display being reduced.
To solve this problem, a panel may be formed in which storage wiring for preventing the light leakage is formed under the data lines, and the pixel electrodes overlap the storage wiring to which the common signal is applied. In this panel, however, the data load is increased so that problems such as high heat and driving deterioration of the high voltage are generated.
Thus, there is a need for a liquid crystal display that prevents light leakage without reducing the aperture ratio of the display. There is also a need for a liquid crystal display that prevents a reduction of aperture ratio without increasing the data load.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.